Battery modules are used, for example, in automotive engineering to supply power for a drive of electric vehicles. In this case, the vehicles may be both vehicles that have exclusively an electric drive, usually referred to as electric vehicles, or vehicles that have a further drive, typically a conventional drive in the form of a combustion engine, in addition to an electric drive. The latter vehicles are often referred to as hybrid vehicles.
Batteries with a high storage capacity are required for the electric drive, said batteries additionally being as small and as light as possible and being able to supply both high voltages and large currents. A plurality of battery modules are therefore usually used in the batteries, said battery modules in turn being formed from a plurality of individual battery cells. The battery cells are normally connected in series in the battery modules, with the result that the voltages of the individual cells add up to form a module voltage. The battery modules can be interconnected in series and/or in parallel in the battery according to requirements.
To adapt a battery module to a specific number of battery cells, a high degree of complexity is usually required. Typically, the battery module has to be disassembled and then reassembled again to obtain the desired battery module. This is disadvantageous, particularly in areas where a high degree of modularization and an ability to adapt to changing peripheral conditions are required, for example in the field of stationary batteries. It is therefore desirable to be able to reconfigure battery modules in a simple and cost-effective manner.
In addition to the adaptation to changed requirements, simple maintenance and repair of batteries and battery modules are also desirable. Until now, it has also been necessary in this case to completely disassemble the battery modules to be able to replace individual, damaged battery cells, for example.
Furthermore, good structural integrity in the battery modules is important. Battery modules having a large number of individual battery cells can only partly fulfill these requirements with some difficulty.
FIG. 1 illustrates a battery module 10 from the prior art in an exemplary manner. The battery module 10 comprises two module end plates 12, between which a plurality of individual stackable battery cells 14 are arranged. The battery cells 14 are stacked accordingly and held between the two module end plates 12. On each of the two module end plates 12, a screw terminal 16 is formed as an electrical contact for connection of the battery module 10. Furthermore, the two module end plates 12 each have a terminal element 18 for electrical coupling to the respectively adjacent battery cell 14. The battery cells 14 are electrically coupled to one another by means of coupling elements 20.
In this connection, DE 10 2014 217 188 A, which is incorporated by reference herein, discloses a battery module having a structure for preventing coolant and ventilation gas from mixing together. Furthermore, a battery module that has two or more stacked battery cells, which can be charged and discharged, and cartridges for fixing the corresponding battery cells for the purpose of forming a battery stack is known. Each of the cartridges has a cooling fin, which is in contact with the battery cells, and a cartridge frame for fixing the cooling fin. The cooling fin comprises two cooling plates, the two cooling plates in one state being coupled to each of the cartridge frames, in which the cooling plates are spaced apart from one another, in order to define a coolant flow channel. Each of the cartridges is provided with openings, which communicate with the coolant flow channel between the cooling plates. Furthermore, a sealing element is provided to insulate a space, which is defined between the cartridge frame and the battery cells, from the coolant flow channel at a stack interface between a cartridge and an adjacent cartridge.